A Bloodstained Path
by Seth-Cypher
Summary: Runeterra's past clashes with its future as forces behind the scenes start to act. An old one from a time long forgotten is tasked with stopping these plans in order to ensure Runeterra's survival...no matter the cost. Reviews and comments are welcome.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Though initially a fiction called Brave Souls, I revised the fiction for a more darker feel. The original fiction was much too flimsy and too often I found myself asking why this was happening and I couldn't come up with an explanation. In short, I didn't like the idea behind Brave Souls in the end. So now you we have this fiction created and hopefully you enjoy it as it progresses.**

_Prologue_

_In every generation, we have always appeared. From within the shadows, buried and overshadowed by hundreds of years of history, one of us has always emerged. Though the thoughts are different, the mantle and purpose always remain the same._

_Even amidst the chaos in the rune wars we searched for ways, ways to avoid our terrible destiny, to fulfill our purpose. For ours overlapped that of Runeterra's very foundations._

_We disappear as quickly as we appear leaving no traces of our existence. Strange how we are much like our counterpart, veiling ourselves in utter darkness, and yet our purposes are the exact opposite of one another._

_For generations, we have tried to fulfill our purpose. Even to this day, under the guise of shadows and chaos, we continue to carry out our objectives._

_We are many, but we are only one for we are Ein, and this is our story. No, this is Runeterra's story, for all Runeterrans tread down the same bloodstained path as we do._

_

* * *

_

Chapter 1: First Blood

He felt a wisp of air brush pass the arm of his robe. He turned his head to look over his shoulder. There was nothing there, probably just him being paranoid. The gruff bald man fixed his Summoner robe's collar and hugged himself for more warmth. A chill ran down his spine when another dark breeze caressed his grey beard.

_Just the wind, nothing out of the ordinary._ The aged Summoner kept silently reassuring himself as he briskly walked down the cold Noxian streets. Noxus's streets were the perfect place for meetings concerning private matters, dangerous and most importantly no one would dare go out. The paranoid man scanned his surroundings before make a sharp right turn down a darkened alleyway. Further down the alleyway, he saw two similarly robed figures with their hoods up. One of them had the common violet hued robe; the other wore a crimson version of the Summoner's robe with deep blue eyes peeping out from underneath the hood.

"Do you have it?" The crimson one demanded in hushed impatience, holding out a hand as if expecting a gift of some sort. The bald Summoner rummaged inside his robes and took out a scroll of paper wrapped tightly by a violet strap.

"Good," His crimson hood nodded as he received the scroll. "Come Ernste, we must prepare our side of the ritual. Follow me." The three robed figures left the alleyway and proceeded down the dimly lit Noxian streets towards their destination. The architect of Noxus's seemed to fit nicely in with the current air, stone cold, grim and dark. The only light source being produced was from the fiery lanterns dangling from the wooden posts laden down the street. Even with the lanterns however, one could only see black shadows covering every wall.

"Summoner Terzer, I am inclined to question why we are called upon now, and why this place?" Ernste directed a quiet question towards the leading member.

"We know not why, but the tiny crack to the other side seems to have…widened quite significantly." The other violet robed figure replied with a hissing voice.

"It is as Summoner Abstell says, our master has called us at this time to assist with matters." The crimson Summoner known as Terzer replied in a deep tone. "Which is why we met in Noxus, doing such a ritual at the Institute would undoubtedly draw unneeded attention. You of all people should know how well the Institute monitors its own premises, Ernste."

"I see, so the day approaches when we are all judged." Ernste whispered with a satisfied grin on his hardened face.

It was surprising however, how noisy Noxus was during the day and yet it could be so quiet that you could probably hear a pin drop from a several blocks down the street. It made noises even more distinct however as Ernste heard something move from behind him.

Whoosh, the sound of some cloth flapping silently through the air sounded within his ears. The old man halted in his steps, quickly took a sharp glance behind his shoulder. To his surprise no one was there, only the entrance to a residence sat in his vision. This did not stop the pounding in his left side however. Like distant thunder his heart was thumping madly. He discarded the feeling and turned his attention forward.

Suddenly a cold hand grabbed him from behind, covering his mouth from uttering any distinct pleas for help. At the same time he felt something sharp drive itself through his chest. His eyes dilated from the pain, muscles started to contract. He could not get away as he flailed helplessly about. The cold hands dragged him under the shadows and pulled him onto the ground. The last thing he saw before he could scream was pitch blackness.

"Hm?" Summoner Terzer turned about upon hearing scuffling in the background, noticing the absence of one in the group. "Ernste?" He eyed the street suspiciously from underneath his crimson hood. A small gust cradled the nearby lantern, the flame that danced in its glass casing started to flicker as the lantern started to lurch violently. The orange glow from the light diminished until it was completely put out. His fellow Summoner reeled his head right to left in an erratic manner.

With no light source, Noxus's stone paved residence looked no different than the inside of an abandoned cave. "Summoner Ernste…" he repeated in a hushed voice. The crimson robed Summoner expected no reply though; at this point he had already deduced that someone was following them. His mind was rampantly fumbling about, trying to narrow down the possible identity of their pursuer. No matter how he thought about it, no one could have known about them. Even General Darkwill was not privy to their activities. Whoever it was if they had any knowledge, any inkling of an idea about them, then surely they had to be dealt with immediately.

Their hunter was surely working from the shadows of Noxus's streets. They would have to use Clairvoyance first and then quickly dispatch the foe; less they draw unnecessary attention from the neighbourhood. Abstell would be the one to draw their pursuer out in the open.

Underneath the folds of crimson, Terzer's deep blue eyes peered towards the side to give Abstell a signal. To his disbelief, there lay a lump on the ground where he had thought Abstell would be. As if to answer his horrid curiosity, the moonlight highlighted the lump. A violet hooded figure, Abstell, lay face down and underneath his corporeal form what appeared to be blood pooling out.

Out of fear, the crimson hooded summoner took several steps back from the lifeless body.

_When-? How-? Who-?_ His mind was in a constant state of hiccup. So shocked was the summoner that he failed to realize that he had pressed himself tightly against one of the stone built walls of Noxus's residence. A shadow suddenly loomed over him, darkening his field of vision. With Ignite readied in the palm of his hand, he took a step away from the wall and turned around to address the shadow behind him.

Too late, before he could even react something heavy dropped on top of him and the last thing he saw was the tip of a bloodstained two pronged blade.

Once again, the wind blew passed the silent streets of night time Noxus.

_On this list of fourteen summoners three have fallen, caught under night's blade. Eleven remain oblivious to their hunter._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Silence

A rippling void tore through the air, a violet purple that seemed to writhe around and distort trees and air alike. A humane figure glided through the otherworldly portal, a being padded in black pauldrons and vambraces with silver horns protruding from each piece. A mask that covered his mouth was hooked to two tanks slung heavily over his back. His face was further obscured by the helmet; two horns curved backwards were protruding from the top. Only his pale blue skin and intense glowing eyes were revealed through his attire. His pitch black robe was in tatters and gashes were dug deep in various places on his skin. He sluggishly floated down the open pathway that was paved between two forests. Violet magical lines followed the ground he floated lightly over.

_That was close; we need to go heal up, Kassadin._ The champion remained silent but agreed with the soft feminine voice that echoed within his thoughts.

Moments later, the Void Walker suddenly halted, his glowing eyes widened as he felt something tug at the crevices of his mind. It felt as though one of Kennen's lightning tempests had hit him from the inside.

"Kassadin! Behind you!" An aged Ionian toned voice warned. Surely enough, Kassadin felt every fiber of his being getting fried as a lightning bolt had connected itself to his back. He turned about only to see a purple blur pass by followed by a wickedly curved scimitar fashioned shortsword imbed itself in his abdomen area. Finally giving way to exhaustion and the wounds he had suffered earlier, the guardian fell over on his knees as his spirit left him.

"Ungh..." He gave a last unearthly groan. He could still hear the clashing of blades sound in the distance. The voice that spoke in his mind also gave a painful grunt.

_What's happening Kassadin? You're response has been somewhat odd recently._ The voice asked sternly.

_I apologize Summoner Jessica, something seems to be...breaking my focus as of late._ A brilliant bolt of white energy whizzed past his corpse followed closely by a high pitch scream, not quite sure if it was female or male though.

_Fortunately, our team isn't doing too badly, and the absence of Ernste from the battle makes things easier._ The Summoner sighed with a relief upon hearing the sound of a structure collapsing nearby.

_Another Summoner who leaves the Fields of Justice without any notice...we seem to be seeing more and more of these types recently._ The Voidwalker remarked as he saw a radiant light flash before his eyes. In the blink of an eye he was up and fully rejuvenated to full strength. He stood before several descending stairs with runic glyphs engraved over them. After the stairs a castle of several mage statues holding up a large crystal lay before his glowing eyes. _We should be wearier of Mordekaiser next time Summoner._

_No, I don't think that was what got us last time. I don't know what the hell his Summoner is thinking but he got two Phantom Dancers so I guess that's a good thing. Even the Master of Metal himself seemed pretty embarrassed. If anything we should watch out for Warwick and Katarina, those two are starting to catch on to our plan._ When a Summoner and a Champion fight, they have to enter a pact first. This pact allows for both Summoner and Champion to act as one, increasing response time and doubling the awareness that one usually has as well as imbuing the Champion with some of the Summoner's unique abilities. Both pact makers hear each other's thoughts as if they were standing in front of one another and conversing normally. Twenty years ago, the Institute of War was able to take advantage of this unique spell and use it as a means to mediate battles. Five champions and Summoners combating five other champions and Summoners with their own goals in mind, this was what the Fields of Justice were maintained for. This was their means of how to wage war, instead of large scale armies decimating cities and lands. Influence and power were the spoils of such wars.

_Done, I think Zhonya's Ring should do the trick. Let's head out now._ The Summoner said in a determined tone.

_As you wish!_ Kassadin's voice reverberated back in response. The Voidwalker made his way through the middle among three forked pathways to join his fellow champions. Not too long after, the sight of a battle ensuing came into Kassadin's view. Rammus, the Armordillo was in the midst of the chaos, the ground rippling with every step he took.

_Wait for it…_The voice tempered his patience. Off from the corner of his eye, Kassadin caught sight of something moving off to the right side of the jungle. An arched wave of golden light weaved itself magnificently through the forest and eventually tore through the enemy team that surrounded the small Armordillo. First Mordekaiser dropped to one knee clutching his heavy metal mace tightly over his shoulder. Kennen collapsed through the intense pain from the energy wave.

_Go! _The Void energy pulsated around Kassadin and in a split second a portal of the same energy started writhing open in the air in front of him. He immediately dashed through the new portal whilst another wormhole had ripped through the air in the middle of the team fight. With Nether Blade crackling with intense energy, Kassadin ripped through the wormhole and flew towards the downed Master of Metal. He made a wide slash through the air with his Nether Blade, the air in front distorted and twisted sickly. Several of the dimensional slashes had managed to rip the very plating armor off of the metal titan. The dark being dropped his mace and quickly dissolved into a mist of black dust.

His Summoner alerted him to a presence approaching from behind. The masked guardian turned about, he was going to throw a fully charged Null Sphere at whoever was behind him. Off in the distance, a woman dressed in complete pitch black came into view. She wore a leather jacket over a very low cut bustier. Her long blood crimson hair seemed to follow the flow of her movements. The scar that ran deeply across her left eye seemed to further accentuate the killer instinct that exuded from her. Katarina the Sinister Blade of Noxus, Kassadin noted, took a quick step forwards and had already closed the gap between them in the blink of an eye. He shot an orb of violet Void energy at the Noxian mercenary by reflex. It came as no surprise when she simply sidestepped the destructive sphere; it was a sloppy shot in the Voidwalker's opinion. Katarina followed by stepping forward and bringing both of her sickly curved swords around for a swing at Kassadin. Void energy enveloped him once again as he disappeared from view, Katarina's blade simply passed through thin air. Kassadin had used his Riftwalk ability to relocate himself behind the Noxian. The Nether Blade mounted on his right arm once again came to life with energy and he had it poised to take his opponent's life.

A faint aching in his head slowed his movements down. The aching quickly spiked and emulated what felt like searing pain, causing the Nether Blade on his arm to wither away as Kassadin gripped onto his head trying to steady himself. He heard the voice of his Summoner in quick ethereal torrents of screams; she seemed to be experiencing the pain as well. The Voidwalker could not even concentrate, even upon clearly seeing his target turn around, he could do naught. Katarina planted a thick leather boot into his chest and sent him toppling backwards.

Curse the Void! What was that infernal screaming that now rang out in his mind? It was not just one feral scream he heard, but several dozen off in the distance seemed to be chanting the same scream as if taunting him. Between the noise in his head and the hammering pain against his skull, he was only semi conscious of the fact that the assassin was ready to plunge one of her blades into his body. He saw the tip of the blade overhead; slowly it bore down on him. Kassadin braced himself for the intense pain of the cold metal going through his body before-

* * *

Under the moonlight a shadowy figure, draped in a black robe, knelt over one of the two corpses. A metal gauntlet hand, rummaged through the crimson robes of the dead body. His movements stopped as he pulled an amulet that hung around the man's neck. The black form held the amulet between his metal palms. The amulet in question was a palm sized rock of dark luster, and in the center of this very rock was what appeared to be a deep scar that emanated a radiant purple light. The enigmatic figure held the rock close to his face and examined it further. Light from the rock illuminated the robed figures features, a faceless mask.

Twin plates placed on top of each other curved elegantly to form two upward archs around the head, like silver wings spread out on a bird. On top of these two plates there was a smaller piece, a symbol resembling the head of a trident. The two spikes at the side of the trident were altered slightly and pointed outwards slightly.

Light that pulsed from the stone itself slowly faded. The light was soon diminished to a dull purple color, and then suddenly a large crack split across the stone. All signs of energy from the talisman had disappeared just like that.

Steel hands closed tightly around the rock. The rock cracked and crumbled in pebbles and stones.

_Damn! Too late…_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Inevitable

He flipped the page, his meticulous emerald eyes darted from left to right scanning the book ever so quickly. A middle aged man sat inside a spacious room at an empty rectangular table. A stack of books sat chaotically next to him; no doubt he had just finished scanning its contents. The man wore a pure white robe with golden lining on the edges; the hood kept down revealing his grey swept back hair. He constantly rubbed his chin; the stubby facial hairs made him seem restless.

_Useless…_He thought to himself. Nothing in these texts told him anything about Void energy. All he kept reading was how the Void was home to terrible monstrosities and how it was trying to devour their world._ Nothing about Void energy…I have no idea what happened to Kassadin but there was definitely an abnormal spike in Void energies during the last match._ He took a moment to stretch back in his chair, running his fingers through his grayed hairs. The many wrinkles on his forehead seemed to soften as he eased up. He observed the spacious room he was in, four walls of neatly filed books. The library was constructed to store knowledge and history dating back to the first of the Rune Wars, a labyrinth of wisdom. Beams of sunlight entered through the large windows that looked out towards a lush park built in the middle of the institute. Yet this man could not find anything pertaining to the Void beyond the many myths that had already circulated. He heard the sound of a door open then close and immediately stood up to address the individual who had just entered.

"High Counciler Relivash…" A young male voice spoke.

Relivash raised a stern palm and the young man stood up from his bowing. The newcomer in question had golden blonde hair that parted in the middle off to the sides. His narrow blue eyes seemed to give off a faint eerie light. It came as a strange feeling when taking his calm demeanor and manner into account. The blonde man straightened the collar on his violet Summoner's robe and began to speak in a calm polite manner, "Summoner Jessica seems to have recovered, though she is still in the infirmary. The doctor is still in the process of examining her but has yet to report anything abnormal in her conditions."

"Thank you Summoner Ganno, your help was much appreciated in the matter." The High Counciler approached the Summoner slowly with hands clasped behind his back.

"It is of no trouble at all High Counciler. Jessica is also a fellow Summoner and friend of mine, I feel I should do no less for her."

"Also...please tell Summoner Jessica to see me once she has recovered." The white robed man always had a calm stare about him, unreadable and montone.

"Understood sir, I shall tell Summoner Jessica of your request." The Summoner bowed again. "..errrrr..." The young man hesitantly mouthed words, seeming to search for the right words.

"Please Summoner, you are allowed to speak your mind."

Summoner Ganno cleared his throat before speaking, "I am inclined to ask what exactly happened in last night's match?"

There was a long pause, High Counciler Relivash stared hard at the young Summoner. Summoner Ganno was a respectable senior Summoner and was held in high regard by the High Council, telling him a little would do no harm. "Last night, Summoner Jessica felt an excruciating pain in her head due to something that seemed to be interfering with her pact Champion. Many Summoners speculated that this was a normal occurrance, afterall Champions are also mortal beings, they would sometimes have times where they felt uncomfortable or felt uneasy. This was a reasonable explanation, however High Counciler Kolminye was the one who had brought to my attention that there was a significant amount of Void energy being emitted from Kassadin...more so than he could normally produce."

With a curious brow raised, the blond Summoner questioned his superior, "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

Relivash shook his head in dissapointment, "That is...currently unknown I am afraid. I wish I had a better grasp of what had transpired, but all knowledge about the Void is either myth or just too vague to make out anything." The High Counciler was in deep thought suddenly, his eyes looked deeply into the ground with a hand holding his chin.

"...High Counciler?" Ganno asked curiously. Relivash snapped out of his thoughts, realizing the youth still standing in front of him.

"Ah, I apologize Summoner Ganno, if you would please excuse me for now." The High Counciler gave a courteous nod.

"Y-yes High Counciler, then I won't keep you." With another respectful bow Ganno had left the library, leaving Relivash to continue on with his studies.

* * *

As he walked briskly through the corridors of the Institute of War, Ganno felt a tug at his mind.

_"Summoner Ganno L'in..."_ A gurgling multi-toned voice hissed in his mind. Ganno kept his composure however, keeping his usual mannerism about him and continued walking passed several other violet robed Summoners talking amongst themselves.

_"Prophet..."_ He hissed violently within his own thoughts, _"And what exactly do you want?"_

_"I come bearing ill news..and a warning."_ The telepathic reply echoed.

_"Speak! What news do you bring?"_ Ganno thought impatiently.

_"The three Summoners you had previously sent to the ruins...are now dead...they're lives snuffed out by a dangerous entity like small candles in the wake of a hurricane."_

_"Sounds like you know who or what did this?"_

_"The Destroyer, as we refer to it, is what our master is most weary of. It has stood in our way since the first Rune Wars."_

_"Hard to believe that there is a force on Runeterra that could possibly stand up to the Voidbourne."_

_"It is not its power we fear!" _The prophet's voice snapped fervently at the young Summoner, _"It is its uncanny ability to mold destinies that we are weary of. Heed this warning Ganno L'in, The Destroyer approaches. You must find it and dispose of it, before it comes to you."_ Those were the last prophetic words that came from the ethereal voice. Ganno already felt the otherworldly presence within his mind dissolve. He gave a hard stare towards the the ancient stone gates that impeded his way. With two arms pushing each side of the gate, he spread the doors open and looked out into the brilliant daylight.

Nothing could stop judgement, absolutely nothing.

* * *

Dark eyes darted back forth, to and from each of the corpses that were being hauled off by soldiers clad in dark silver armor. Their pauldrons were draped by black and red cloths that hung down to their elbows. The woman ran her leather gloved fingers through her crimson hair.

"Damn, so this was where Summoner Ernste was..." Katarina muttered grimly to herself. The match from yesternight left a bitter taste in her, one she had not gotten rid of yet. She had to think clearly amidst the noise that one of the officers off to the side was making.

A hulking form with stitches all over his thick robust body was directing all the soldiers. His crimson glare was as threatening as the the large axe he bore over his shoulder.

"Stop being a bonehead!" The behemoth yelled at one of the soldiers who had dropped one of the corpses by accident.

"First Noxus loses a match and now we find a Noxian Summoner dead on his own streets, this day couldn't get worse!" Katarina shook her head with two fingers massaging her temples. It did not help matters when the officer came up to her and started talking in his usual barking mannerism. She turned around, looking at one of the corners where the body of the esteemed Summoner Ernste had been found slumped against the wall. They were only able to identify him by the certification he held on his being. His face was unrecognizable, beyond just mere gashes and bruises, as if several hammers had been planted into the man's skull repeatedly. Even Katarina, an assassin who had seen and done her fair share of brutalities, was taken back at first glance.

However, that was the part that held Katarina's interest the most. As far as she could tell the only nations with enough power to call on assassins were Demacia and Ionia. She would have loved to accuse them of assassinations but that would've been a mistake. Everyone, including Katarina, knew that Demacia was far too proud and too much a stickler to stay on the League's good side to pull such an act off. That left Ionia, they had a pretty good motive and they were known for their deadly assassination techniques. But she had fought against Ionian assassins before, they always went for dismembering the head or throat. No, these summoners were killed by Noxian methods. Go for the lungs and heart then pull them by the neck into the shadows and finish the job off. By mutilating Ernste's head, the killer was trying to send a message...but to whom was the question? And for what purpose? Surely the individual did not want to incur Noxus's wrath did they?

"Milady, the bodies have been loaded onto the wagon. Should I go ahead and report to General Darkwill?" One of the soldiers saluted the Sinister Blade of Noxus.

"That won't be neccessary, I'll go myself." There was something gravely amiss here, and it was not just the scene that disturbed her. Her senses would not rest, they told her something was watching them closely. The champion of Noxus scanned the crowd, amidst the crowd a hulking figure caught her eye. She was somewhat surprised to see him here, he usually never traversed the streets even when something curious happened. Between two scarred thugs stood an eight feet titan, clad in wicked silver armor with multiple spikes protruding everywhere. Mordekaiser gazed out from the steel helmet at the scene before him. The common folk could not tell, but if you hung around the Master of Metal long enough you would be able to tell the dark one's expressions just be looking at his eyes.

What concerned Katarina right now was the look of curiosity...and perhaps concern that painted Mordekaiser's eyes.

* * *

Behind the veil of people, a black hooded figure stood peering out into the distance over the shoulders of the many. He saw the crimson haired woman whom was directing all the attention, elegent in appearance yet as brute as a warrior could be in attitude.

_Katarina du Couteau...like father like daughter I suppose..._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Destroyer Approaches

An old man sat huddled near the blazing fireplace. He straightened the dark brown hood that overshadowed his head, only revealing his aged features. His arms outstretched, reaching for the flames that danced in the brick cavern that contained them. The heat beat against the palms of his scratched up hands. He stared grimly with dark brown eyes, restless bags circled around his eyes only making him older than he already looked. Since his time on the battlefield General Du Couteau had never felt so weary, so restless…so fearful. Perhaps he should have left a note to his daughters? No, that might have provided insight as to his whereabouts. The aged man heard the creaking of hinges, the wind outside rattled the wooden door to the residence. At the end of the violent rattling came another creak of the wooden door. The old man's breathing halted momentarily, so too did his heartbeat, as his dark brown eyes darted to the left. He huddled underneath the cloak, pulling the cape edges around his body. Without any warning the hooded man whirled about with a dagger in hand. The blade of the dagger was wickedly curved like the blade of the reaper's scythe.

Chimes of colliding steel sounded in the house, as two blades met in combat. With quick trained eyes the experienced general only needed a moment to scan the adversary before him. His dagger was being held in between a two pronged katar type weapon. The katar was the extension of a metal arm, the blades protruding out directly from the silver armguard. Both the katar and the armguard shared the same intricate design, or flavor of designs at least. The katar bore a beveled long sword design on it, each blade sporting one half of the sword. A similar sword striking through a crescent moon design was on the armguard. Most of the figure's attire features were hidden underneath a pitch black cloak…except for the head. Instead of man's face, he found himself staring against a faceless entity. A double plated mask that arched upwards, with the center being pointed slightly, stared back at the old man. He pulled his dagger away from the conflict.

The stranger stood in place for awhile, arm still flexed and blade still in front of him as if they were still locked in a struggle. Each blade on the katar separated, folding backwards and into two slots on the sides of the armguard. He lowered his arm and assumed a more approachable stance.

A grimace appeared on the old man's face, though his nerves still had not calmed down as he pointed the dagger at the newcomer, "You do not appear to be after my head. Were you sent by General Darkwill…or by them?" He gave the stranger a hard stare as he emphasized the word "them".

In a vague response, the enigmatic man reached inside his black cloak. General Du Couteau's dagger arm tensed up, a threat and indication of what would happen if he tried anything. He pulled out a scroll of paper and outstretched it towards the aged man. The scroll was tied up by a string with a black charcoal-like stone dangling off of it.

The tired general snatched the scroll and lowered the dagger, sheathing the dagger back underneath his cloak. He pulled his hood down, revealing white hair that was tied in a noble knot at the back, as he untied the string and unraveled the scroll. His eyes scanned the scroll quickly, he gave a quick glance at the stone, and then his hard gaze went back to the stranger. "This stone…so then that must mean you are…?"

He nodded in response.

Du Couteau ran his finger over the stone; one could still feel a pulse of power emoting from the rock. The old general chuckled hysterically as he turned towards the fire, "So it actually worked huh? And here I thought it was just a fairytale conjured up by my forefathers." He turned around to address the black figure, "I apologize for my aggression earlier, I had not thought you were truly the one. Allow me to introduce myself; I am the current General Du Couteau of the Du Couteau clan…and I am in dire need of your assistance."

A woman walked down descending steps that lead underground with a incandescent light emanating from the palm of her hand. Emerald eyes focused hard into the depths of the underground ruins to make out features of the complex. She wore a variation of the common violet Summoner's robe, a small cape extended from the shoulders down to the waist. Her shoulder length sandy hair settled onto her shoulders as she proceeded down the stairs. The Summoner was careful in her steps, making sure there were no traps ahead.

* * *

Dust and cobwebs littered the terrain made steps, an indication of the years these ruins had gone through. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, a long corridor stretched out before the woman's eyes.

Vwooosh. The wall off to her right opened up, revealing a rift of swirling violet energy. A figure slowly glided out of the portal as it closed. Eerie glowing yellow eyes scanned the corridor, "These are the ruins, Summoner Jessica?" Kassadin's voice seemed to ripple through the air.

"Yes, this is it Kassadin." Jessica nodded in confirmation. The Voidwalker looked around; his movements were somewhat erratic and edgy. It was surprising for the Summoner to see him like this. She felt inclined to ask about his strange mannerism, "…is there something wrong, Voidwalker?"

"Not wrong, Summoner. Something in these ruins feels strange…" Like a beating heart, he felt something thumping nearby. No, not his own heart, it was something much more ethereal. "…we should proceed with extreme caut-?" To his surprise the Summoner was not where she was a moment ago. Instead he found her already down the other end of the corridor.

"Look Kassadin! I don't think I've ever seen this glyph before!" She cried out in excitement. It was much akin to seeing a small child staring in awe in a toy store. The Voidwalker could only give a sigh of disbelief and slowly floated towards the Summoner. Still, he could fully understand Jessica's excitement.

Their last battle at the Institute ended with their victory. The spoils of victory? The rights to explore these newly discovered underground ruins. As location of the ruins was inside the League's territory, both Demacia and Noxus entered into a struggle over who would explore the ruins. The matter would be settled by a match on the Fields of Justice. The condition of being allowed to explore the ruins was that the League be privy to all information regarding the ruins.

Although this was not the only reason Jessica had been sent to investigate the ruins. The Summoner was also part of the League's own investigation team. The team consisted of a select few Summoners hailing from different city states who were tasked with investigating sites that were of interest to the League.

In this case, Jessica had been tasked to investigate the reported sightings of several mysterious figures having trespassed into the ruins yesterday.

Upon turning another corner, Jessica flinched at the sight before her. A body sat limply against a bloodied wall. The blood on the wall had already coagulated; causing it to look more like dark red paint had splattered over the wall. She could not hide the shock when eyeing the lifeless body. It was a soldier's body, bearing silver armor and wearing red clothes underneath the armor. His helmet bore two war hammers crossing over each other overlapping what appeared to be a horizontal stake.

Jessica recognized the emblem all too well; it was the insignia for Noxus's military. Though she was surprised at the fact that Noxus had sent soldiers down here, what had initially shocked her most was the wound the soldier had. A hole the size of yordle was gouged out in the soldier's chest. There were no signs of a blast wound or a puncture wound, just a gaping hole in his chest. She could not tear her eyes away from the terrifying sight.

"These soldiers too…they too suffer from similar wounds…" Kassadin's voice came from ahead. Jessica looked up from the corpse to find graveyard of more Noxian soldiers. Some of the bodies were missing limbs and even their heads.

The Summoner walked down the hallway, her legs feeling a bit weak as she carefully stepped over the bodies. She swallowed hard before being able to speak, "...so…aside from Noxians, others had also been down here?"

"I can only be certain that there was a struggle for whatever was down here." The further they travelled into the ruins, the more alert Kassadin became. He could now physically feel something pulsing with power. The power he felt was much like the one that had caused his powers to go ballistic yesterday.

Jessica took note of the Voidwalker's distress; she noticed a glow emanating from his right arm. "Kassadin! The Nether Blade!"

The otherworldly being lifted his arm in surprise; the Void Stone in his Nether Blade was resonating!

What? How can this be? The Void Stone would only react to Void energy or magic. Either the complex itself was generating magic or whatever it was that was being contained in this complex was emitting an astonishing amount of magic.

Kassadin lifted his gaze from the glowing blue stone. He saw a faint blue light coming from around another sharp corner. The light pulsed, in synch with the beating of the energy he felt. Along the ground, Jessica saw a fading trail of blood leading towards the very same light.

"…let's find out what they were after…" The path led to a large polygonal room, the end of the ruins. Small glyphs carved into the walls were giving off radiant blue glows that formed the eerie light they saw. In the center of the room stood a stone made podium, and at its front was an empty slot that resembled a five point star. A thick red book lay on the podium. Other than the dusty cover, the tome was perfectly fine.

Kassadin felt the energy most intense here, it was here that the magic was coming from. But for what reason was such magic used for?

Meanwhile, Jessica dusted off the ancient text and flipped through the pages to see if it held any relevant information.

"Through Sacrifice…" was the first statement that she came across. She flipped the page to find pages of calligraphic text printed onto the pages.

"Faustus Requisca…" Were the first words on the page, she continued reading down the pages.

"Icarus Heimguard, Zan Hiroko…" The pages were filled with names; she skimmed several pages to the writings ended. Oddly enough the text stopped midway through the book, the rest of the pages in the back were blank.

The last three names caught her attention, "Ernste Gaston, Abstell Merto, Terzer Mortis…" All three were recognized as Summoners of the League.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Demacia!

On the western most coast of Valoran, beyond the lush expanses of the Kaladoun Marshes, lay the shining city known as Demacia. A fortress of awe and beauty, Demacia stood on the opposite end of Noxus as did their concepts of life. While Noxus valued power and status above all else, Demacia viewed law and order to be the most important aspects of society. This ideal was reflected in the architecture of their city as well.

Tall gleaming white spires reached towards the heavens, and at the center of the city one could easily spot the large castle that shone brilliantly under the sunlight. Impenetrable walls surrounded the city as the denizens within its own streets bustled about in their everyday lives. Soldiers bearing the flamboyant blue, gold and white colors on their armor would patrol the streets periodically.

Amongst the Demacian citizens was a particular soldier running down the street. A young girl squeezed passed the crowds, apologizing along the way to any citizens she accidentally bumped into. Her golden hair would sometimes shimmer in the sunlight as it danced through the wind. The girl's attire differed from the normal Demacian soldier, having white armor and a silver breast plate covering a black body suit. Her weapon of choice, a long baton with what appeared to be golden crowns at each end, was kept snug against her waist.

The vibrant girl dashed towards one of the four towers that surrounded the palace. A giant violet hued crest glowed brilliantly on at the top. Each tower possessed a different symbol with a different crest. At the foot of the marble tower lay giant double gates with a four squared window-like design carved into them. A woman in violet robes stood at the front with two oversized camping bags on the ground beside her, it seemed somewhat comical to think that the woman could carry both bags at once.

"Jessica!" The radiant girl jovially yelled as she broke into a jumping hug at the woman.

Jessica seemed mildly surprised, though not unpleasant in the least bit as she gave a small laugh and hugged the girl back, "Aha! Lux, it's been awhile. How are you?"

"Great!" She responded adding a playful laugh, "I saw your match on the broadcasts, congratulations!"

"Thank you, Lu-"

"Though…I never took you for one to be using the bait strategy. Poor Kassadin must've been hurting all over after that ordeal." Lux added in an innocent manner.

"Eheh…" Jessica gave a fake laugh accompanied by a forced smile. She could never really tell if the girl was teasing her or actually being serious.

Jessica Cross had known Lux since she was a small child. The Cross family and the Crownguard family had heavy ties to each other, dating back to Jarvan II's coronation. While the Crownguards had upheld a long tradition of raising valiant warriors in the service of Demacia, the Cross house had been known for their magus upbringing. As a result the two houses shared a familial bond within, and outside, the Demacian military.

"Here, I'll help you with that." Lux said as she picked up one of the colossal bags. What seemed comical that Jessica was lugging the bag seemed overly exaggerated when Lux managed to sling one of the bags onto her shoulder. She almost seemed dwarfed considering she was a good foot or two shorter than Jessica.

"Thanks Lux, but…don't you have things to do?" The two proceeded down the steps of the spire and towards the crowded Demacian streets.

"Off duty, just got back from a match. I heard you were coming back from your trip so I thought I'd come and welcome you back." The Crownguard girl explained and then gave her friend a disappointed glance, "And here I was thinking you'd be glad to see me."

A nervous laugh painted itself across Jessica's face, "Oh come on Lux! I was just worried you skipped out on your duties again."

The Lady of Luminosity, as she was widely known, giggled in amusement, "I know, I was just teasing."

As they walked further away from the central grounds and into the residential streets, the traffic became much heavier.

"What's the occasion?" Jessica asked curiously as she peeked over the flood of people.

"Mages and merchants from the outlying cities. High Summoner Rem is about to unveil their findings on sigil teleportation. It's supposedly going to replace the crystal teleportation we use." Lux explained as she shuffled passed the crowd.

"Ah, I see…" The Summoner replied unenthusiastically. At current, city-states aligned with Demacia used crystal nodes to teleport from one city-state to another. It was quick and served its purpose, however it was now being deemed inefficient as the nodes themselves wore out after three years and crystals of an appropriate size were getting harder to find.

Sigil teleportation was, as the name implied, using symbols to channel magic in order to use a teleportation spell. It was theorized to be more efficient and simpler.

It was not that Jessica did not think highly of the development, she was just more interested in other areas.

It was then that Lux nudged her lightly on the arm, "By the way, speaking of findings, did you find anything of interest in those ruins?"

"Hmmm…well it's hard to describe. We found strange symbols all over the place, and a musty old tome…"

Lux cocked a peculiar eyebrow, "A musty old tome?"

"Yeah, it had a list of names in it. The strangest thing was that it contained the names of a couple Summoners in the League, specifically Noxian Summoners. There were also several Noxian soldiers in the ruins."

The girl shot Jessica a stare of utter disbelief, "Noxian soldiers? I thought the match decided which city-state got to explore the ruins?"

"It did, I guess Noxus had other plans. Though the Noxians weren't the only ones there…" Jessica explained, the image of the bodies of the soldiers still haunted her memories.

"What?"

"Listen Lux, I didn't tell the League any of this…but…I think…whatever was in ruins was what killed the Noxian soldiers."

* * *

"Times have changed since your last emergence, old one. Noxus is no longer the dominating force that we were centuries ago. Our might and power was halted by the Demacian's military power." Marcus du Couteau leaned against the fireplace as the great embers lit his old features up. He gave the other presence in the room a cocky grin.

The other person he addressed was a tall figure, wrapped in black robes and expression covered by two bent metal plates. This person tilted his masked head slightly, giving off a quizzical gesture.

"That is not the only thing that stands in the way of our conquest. The League of Legends is an organization made to mediate our wars. They told us that our battles were escalating to catastrophic levels, that our very power would tear this world apart. Preposterous!"

The old general spoke in a dramatic manner, his hand gestures also reflecting this. "But enough of that, I have summoned you here for a purpose."

Like a vigilante statue the masked man did not move, he merely listened. "The three Summoners you killed are part of a secretive cult that is spread thinly through Valoran. They are worshippers of the Voidbourne. Merely knowing this much apparently gave them enough reason to look for me. When they could not find me, they started to panic and made their way into a newly discovered location…your sleeping place. The League had uncovered the ruins you were sealed in several days ago. I sent some of my men to intercept them, I had feared the worst when none of them had returned on the following day, but it seems they were successful. Thus here I am, face to face with you."

"…" The man remained silent. _Such calm is hard to find in today's hot blooded Noxians,_ the Noxian general thought to himself, especially the soldiers this day and age where death on the battlefield was treated as the ultimate form of art. Marcus du Couteau walked around the masked figure, still studying the mysterious form. When he had heard stories of The Destroyer from his forefathers, he had expected a man of collossal nature wielding brutish strength. Yet here stood a being of normal human stature.

"I have heard many refer to you as Ein, is that your name?" The man nodded slowly, yet confidently. A wide grin played across the general's face as he stood in front of the man named Ein, "Good, Now for the task at hand. There are supposedly eleven more members that are alive, scattered throughout Valoran. I needn't tell you my reasons, nor do I think you care anyways. I just need these cultists disposed of...as soon as possible." He finished his pacing of the room and returned to his place beside the crackling fireplace.

The dim lighting from the fires played darkly across Marcus's face, giving off a dark and serious tone in contrast to his earlier confident grins. "Do you think you can do it? Travel across Valoran, journey city to city, search out a few humans in these vast lands. No allies no friends, perhaps the world your enemy…or perhaps you have several questions you want answered?"

For a moment, the only sound that filled the room was the crackling of the fires. Then, as if the air itself was speaking to Du Couteau, a deep voice resounded through the room. The tone was rough, almost a bark, yet it possessed a soft echo.

"…tell us where we begin, and we shall bring an end…"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Caught in the Dark

A lone warrior wandered the streets of the town, patrolled it. There were little to no citizens walking about the small town, any individual who stood out would immediately be able to be picked out from the rest. He strode towards the edge of the town; his brilliant armor would sometimes make the occasional clanking sound. His armor was adorned by a golden rim, the base color being blue and sometimes white. Only the shoulder guard and the armguards were metal though, everything else was made from cloth to make ease of movement. He clutched a hefty long sword in his right hand. He seemed to carry it quite effortlessly, almost as if it was his own arm.

A barricade on the edge of the town came into view, the walls made out wooden fencing. Inside were several other soldiers bearing the same flamboyant color and armor he wore. They laughed and joked, he paid them no heed as he walked besides the fencing. The prideful soldier placed his sword into the ground and looked out into the distance.

The orange sun began setting, its rays almost a sad foreboding color.

"Commander Garen, care for a drink?" Garen looked to his left to see another soldier sitting down on a chair and offering a small silver canteen to him. The commander looked towards his fellow soldier with hard eyes, a determined and cold stare. Wind brushed against his brown neatly parted hair, he returned his gaze to the setting sun.

"No thanks Grahm, I already had one at the tavern just now." He replied in a calm yet commanding voice.

"Oho, so even The Might of Demacia sometimes derails from duty too?" The soldier had a wry grin on his young childish face. You could tell this one had not seen a battlefield ever in his life. Was this a bad sign or was this a good sign? Garen could not really explain.

Garen fixed the majestically adorned shoulder piece on his left arm; it felt like it was sliding down a bit. "It's not…derailing…I am simply sustaining myself in order to keep on duty." His voice did not change in tone, nor did his hard expression.

The soldier to his side laughed heartily, "Yeah, yeah. You and I both know there's no duty in this town."

"Summoner Alicia insisted that we escort her until her research has been completed. It is a part of our duty to comply." Garen spoke loudly, almost as if he was reciting a verse from The Measured Tread.

The young soldier scratched the back of his neck apologetically, "I apologize commander. It's just that I don't exactly see what the reason could be…I mean who would even attack a Summoner this day and age? That's an offense that would land you the death sentence straight from the League itself."

"Grahm, no matter what time or age it is, there will always be scum in the world who will stop at nothing to accomplish their ends. The Summoners may be protected by the League…but they are anything but safe."

* * *

A swing from his arm would call forth twin violet spears from opposing points. The two dimensional spears converged on one another, impaling through multiple robed midget figures. With the wave of his arms a large spacial void opened up underneath another wave of the small minions. The mindless servants collapsed and faded into the nothingness that they had once been.

"We demand sacrifice…" An otherworldly voice hissed from a singular figure that stood in the middle of the path...or perhaps it was more accurate to say he was floating. The foreboding figure wore baggy violet clothes, all features hidden except for his omniscient blue eyes that glowed with another presence.

Another cluster of the small beings scurried across the pathway, mechanically heading towards the floating entity.

With a wave of his arm, dark swaths cut open to the sides of the minions. Otherworldly spears consumed the small creatures.

_Head top, Malzahar, we'll help Cho'gath finish them off._ A stern voice, male, commanded his thoughts.

"At once…" He responded. The dark prophet floated effortlessly above the ground towards a shallow body of water that ran down as far as the eye could see. His glowing eyes scanned the front for any movements; his Summoner would in turn look out for any signs of activity behind him.

Faint sounds of a battle ensuing began to grow. The ground below Malzahar trembled slightly as he made his way into a patch of tall grass. He lowered himself to ground level and crouched below the grass's height. Beyond the grass blades he saw the wonderful chaos.

A monster of frightening size was battling two combatants. Great mandibles dripped with fresh blood on the sides of the monster's jaw. It resembled a violet lizard but bore claws much like a mantis's on its back. The horrifying creature, known only as Cho'gath, gave a feral roar at the two enemies. So frightening was the roar that it blew even some of the terrain back. The opposition had to stand firm less they be blown back as well.

The two enemies on the opposing side were more humanoid. One appeared to be an average boy, blonde in unkempt hair, who wore a hefty gauntlet with a large gem embedded at the center of it. He was known widely as The Prodigal Explorer, Ezreal. The other was a dark blue enigmatic figure. From head to toe he was covered in a dark blue tunic, his face unreadable as a mask covered it. Glowing yellow eyes assessed the situation from behind the mask. Immediately Malzahar had identified him as the Kinkou warrior known as Shen.

Cho'gath's feet stomped against the ground, causing a tremor to occur moments later. The earth shook as Ezreal and Shen felt the very ground underneath their feet begin to rise. Shen made a dive into a nearby brush and Ezreal instantly teleported away from the area in a brilliant flash of golden light. Several spikes made from the natural terrain jolted upwards, and then settled back down into the Runeterran earth. The Prodigal Explorer fired off a streak of white bolt at the Voidborn.

The bolt splashed against Cho'gath's head and left the monster in a dazed state as it shook its head. A dagger came spinning out of the brushes and had imbedded itself into one of Cho'gath's legs. Shen dashed out of the bushes passed Cho'gath, all the while retrieving his dagger from the creature's leg. The ninja proceeded by unsheathing his other dagger and made a forward arching sweep with both blades at Cho'Gath's hind leg. This strike, empowered by Shen's own energies, caused the monster to stumble to the side.

It was at this moment that Malzahar began to move as a white light enveloped his being and transferred him in front of the unwary Ezreal. Like a conductor to a destructive symphony, Malzahar began waving his hands around.

As Ezreal attempted to run back to the safety of the colossal tower that sat behind him, a large void space grew under his feet and began crackling with energy. Despite this the young man continued through the space that seemed to be sucking the energy from his body.

Ezreal heard a small squeaking noise and turned his head to see what it was. A small four legged purple creature pounced onto his back and dug its large mandibles into his back. The boy fell back as he felt the creature begin tearing out flesh after flesh from his back.

Malzahar returned his attention to Cho'gath, who stood even larger than ever. Off to the side was the lifeless body of the Kinkou warrior, a good portion of it had been torn off.

"I grow tired of facing these….hideous creatures everyday! When will we be finished with them?" The Void monster screeched hideously, snarling at the prophet.

"All in due course, Voidborn. Everything as we speak is in motion, and soon we shall set this world towards their fate. But for now, we wait…" The Mad Prophet hissed ominously.

He looked down the lane as he saw the Voidling, born from the Prophet's unearthly powers, scuttle across the fields. Only moments later to crumple lifelessly onto the ground.

* * *

"Get out now! Can't you see I'm busy?" A frantic woman in glasses screeched furiously from her small desk. The Demacian soldier at the front pulled the door in front of himself as a cup flew towards him. As intimidating as the helmet and armor looked on the soldier, he was visibly afraid of the woman.

Upon hear the cup shatter against the door he pushed it open once again, "I'm sorry milady, we jus-!" This time he shut the door completely as a dagger planted itself into the wooden door. Muffled protests emitted from behind the door.

The woman gave a huge sigh before collapsing onto the desk chair. She took a deep breath straightened out her noble green garbs before pulling a pouch from her waist and setting it down on the desk. Light from the flickering candles played across the pouch's' exterior as she began unwrapping it. A blue light came out from the opening in at the top. The woman spread the fabric out, unveiling an onyx rock with a glowing blue crystal at the center.

The onyx rock was shaped in a five pointed star fashion while the blue crystal looked much like a tear.

"Simply amazing…that such a small mineral could possess the power to ward off an entire world…" She said in a mesmerized state as she studied the rock.

Now all I have to do is find a small crack into the Void…then I'll be able to- The door behind her creaked open, prompting her to drop the palm-sized stone and wrap it up in the cloth again.

She spun around in a furious state, expecting another of the half-witted Demacian soldiers to be standing there, "Did I not just say I wanted some peace and quiet?"

To her surprise however there was not the common blue, gold and white. Instead she saw a figure literally covered from head to toe in dark silver armor. Trying to look at its face was almost impossible for it had none. The figure merely donned a double plated mask. The left half of its armored body was draped in a black cape that extended to its waist. Black skirts made of cloths extended to the ankles of its steeled feet; two shorter layers overlapped each other and alternated in black and red coloration.

"Who the he-?" She tried to cry out words, but before she could finish her question a strong metallic hand grabbed her by the mouth and silenced her. The woman panicked and flailed her arms about, desperately trying to grab something to use as a weapon. Muffled cries emitted through the steel hand. She felt her back press against the desk and chair together.

The panic was suddenly brought to a halt as she felt something plunge into the left side of her chest. She felt pain, but the strength in her began to dwindle to the point where it took all her strength just to move her arms. Then the sound of her heartbeat diminishing was audible, like a distant thunderstorm at its end. She was set down on the desk gently in a sitting position, the last thing she saw was a silver gauntlet taking the stone she had been studying moments before. Finally…she saw nothing.

_"…you too shall be remembered…"_

_An ill fate remains for ten who have dared trespass…_

___

* * *

_

**Author: I feel I am stretching it a little bit. I mean...an assassin getting by Demacian guards so easily? It seemed almost comedic. But it's not like Demacian soldiers are gods or anything, they're not perfect. Even Garen, a paragon of Demacia, is prone to failure. They're human afterall. Which is my reasoning behind that little fiasco. No, it is not an attempt to make my character look like some supreme being, I wanted to move the story forward a bit faster. You'll soon find that this story is more than just about a character insertion but more about Runeterra as a whole.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Wheels Turn

At first the crowd cheered at his entrance. Children hopped over their parent's shoulders to get a better view at the spectacle in the middle of the city. Even some of the patrolling soldiers gathered alongside the crowd.

He, however, did not share the jovial emotions of the citizens. Exhausted? Frustrated? Fear? None of those words seemed to describe the anxiety Garen Crownguard was feeling right now. Every consecutive step he took felt heavier than the last as he walked down the marble tiled grounds of the great Demacian city.

Soon the parading around him stopped, as the citizens of Demacia beheld the soldiers that marched sluggishly behind him. Four of them lugged a stretcher made from simple branches and a cloth. On it was cloth that bulged out slightly, a dead body.

"What's going on? Garen?" The Demacian commander turned his attention towards the high pitched voice he heard. He saw his golden haired sister, Luxanna Crownguard, run towards him.

Garen's hard stare turned to the stretcher that the soldiers carried. His gaze then went back to the castle at the end of the street. "...come with me Luxanna, there is something we have to talk about with the king." Garen looked over Luxanna to see the young Summoner, Jessica Cross. "Summoner Jessica, I think you should come too. This might be important to you as well."

The sandy haired Summoner raised a quizzical eyebrow.

Inside the castle Jarvan Lightshield the Third, current king of mother Demacia, sat attentively at his marble made throne. Like most of the city, the castle interior and exterior was intricately designed with marble as the base material. A red carpet was rolled throughout the halls of the large castle, ending at the throne room.

A soldier of noble stature knelt several feet in front of the throne. The man bore a large spear in his left hand; the double pronged tip reminded most of how eagle talons can tear flesh quite easily. His hair was shaped in a long ponytail, the ligaments of hair segmented into three by three ties.

"My king, Garen Crownguard has returned. He wishes an audience with you immediately along with the presence of the council."

The king sat at his throne with a calm, yet prideful, demeanour. His dark blue eyes looked towards the ground, pondering for a moment about the request.

_An audience with the entire council? Something serious has transpired..._He thought to himself. Jarvan brushed a piece of the dirty blonde strand of his hair aside. "Please relay to Commander Crownguard that we shall see him momentarily, Xin Zhao." His tone was youthful, yet surprisingly commanding. The king's presence exuded what most Demacians looked up to, pride, courage and a great sense of calmness. These characteristics coupled with his sense of justice made Jarvan Lightshield a great figure in Demacia. The majesty of his red and white robes played in the lights as he rose from his seat, golden decals on his sleeves shimmered lightly in the light. "I shall gather the council at once."

"As you wish." As Xin Zhao strode out of the throne room, Jarvan was left with a worrisome thought.

_Hopefully this has nothing to do with that issue..._

* * *

High Summoner Rem toiled in his laboratory, scurrying back and forth from one side of the room to the other. He caressed his ruffled white beard as he referred to the texts. Turning his old grey eyes from the book towards the center of the lab, he beheld a triangular pattern carved into the white floor. "It still isn't working properly...hmmm..." He scratched his bare head. The only hair he had left were the long unkempt strands dangling from ear level. A knock on the door interrupted his train of thought. Much to his own reluctance, he was forced to address the intrusion.

"Enter..." The High Summoner straightened the collar of his robes. Unlike most Summoner's violet robe, the High Summoner wore a white robe with a blue cape that cascaded around the upper torso. The sleeves were adorned with the patriotic Demacian emblem.

"High Summoner Rem, his highness wishes for you to be present immediately at the throne room." A Demacian soldier in blue and silver armor relayed. The soldier's silver helmet covered his entire face, save for the deep blue eyes, with feathered wings adorning the sides.

Rem nodded in confirmation, "Thank you. Please tell his majesty that I will be there shortly." The old mage already had several guesses as to what this meeting was pertaining to.

* * *

"Summoner Alicia was killed?" One of the Summoners of the Demacian Council shouted from the back of the throne room. Murmuring could be heard surrounding the court as The Might of Demacia knelt at the base of the throne. The Demacian commander felt several gazes, even glares, bear down on him.

Luxanna Crownguard stood alongside a vigilant Xin Zhao and Jessica Cross behind Garen. Several other captains and Summoners were crowded around the area as well. Luxanna exchanged a glance of concern with Jessica.

Garen's gaze remained on the red carpet on the floor, his head unable to lift itself to meet his king face to face. "My king, I am sorry I have failed. I-!"

"That is enough Garen. The blame is not solely yours to shoulder." King Jarvan raised a hand, stilling the wave of noise. His expression remained a complete calm despite the grave news that had been relayed. "Please, stand." At his command Garen rose and eyed the council members standing at the side of the king. High Summoner Rem subtly shuffled in amongst the wall of violet. "I would like to know in what manner was Summoner Alicia killed?" Jarvan added.

The champion of Demacia gave a respectful nod before complying, "Three days ago, we found several of the soldiers posted at Lady Alicia's residence had been knocked out and bound. We proceeded inwards and found Lady Alicia dead in her research lab." The murmuring began once again, though the animosity was not directed at the Crownguard elite this time.

"And the wound? What kind of wound did Lady Alicia bear?" A council member abruptly demanded.

Though a bit perplexed by the odd question Garen nonetheless responded, "A piercing wound, the murderer stabbed her in the left side of her chest. There were no signs of a beating or a struggle of any kind. Also, the artifact that Lady Alicia was carrying was gone."

High Summoner Rem's eyes shot wide open with shock at the news Garen bore. "Your majesty..." He gave the calm Jarvan a quick glance.

The king sat on his throne went into deep thought, "...hmmm...yes...but it could be just a coincidence..."

"My lord, May I ask what is the purpose of all these odd questions?" Garen asked while eyeing the both the High Summoner and the king curiously.

"While you were away, Garen, a meeting was requested by Noxus with the League and all the city-states. Noxus stated that there was an urgent matter that had to be brought up. At first I thought it was one of their petty complaints about the Kalamanda mines. It turns out however that Noxus too has had Summoners murdered in such a manner. Last week, three of their Summoners had been found dead on their own streets. Noxian High Summoner Terzer was amongst one of them."

It was not that murder was an uncommon issue in Noxus. Homocide had always been a common occurrence in Noxus. The surprising fact was that Summoners had been murdered, an offense that easily warranted the League's execution penalty to the perpetrator. "So Noxus is putting the blame on other city-states for the assassination?"

"They did questions us and some other city-states about the matter. However, their baseless accusations only earned them a suspicious eye from the League. However...I don't think that they plotted the deaths of their own Summoners either. Lady Alicia's manner death was tragic...but it has confirmed that there are a group of people out for their blood."

King Jarvan directed a stern command to the military might of Demacia, "Commanders and captains of the Demacian guard, I ask that you double the security patrols at the arcane spire." The soldiers mechanically saluted the king and bowed.

* * *

"I don't understand your reasoning, Morde. Why are you so adamant about not going into details about the killings to High Command?" Katarina's arms were over her exposed chest. She leaned on one of the large paintings that hung off the wall in the classy mansion. The Du Couteau residence was large and as classical as Noxian mansions got. Red and black striped wallpaper adorned the insides along with high hung chandeliers near the stairs. Katarina was currently in the living room where a large special square with expensive furniture and a grim fireplace decorated it.

The ominous Master of Metal stood at the opposite wall of the living room. He adjusted the weight of the gigantic mace over his shoulder. The flaring crimson eyes underneath the ornate helmet narrowed slightly, "In time you shall see, Noxian. For now, you must heed my words."

Katarina scoffed at the unearthly words of the dark one. "You, who cares about nothing except for disease and death, are actually worried about something? I think I might actually be getting goose bumps." She brushed a piece of crimson hair that dangled in front of her scarred eye aside. "Well since you're not gonna tell me the reason why I had to do what I did, perhaps you should explain why you're in the Du Couteau residence…or better yet, what exactly are you waiting for?"

Mordekaiser paused for a moment, weighing the decision of whether or not to tell this impertinent creature his reasoning. The long pause was stopped as Morde's growling voice responded to her question, "…I am here for your father."

This response caught the Noxian assassin's attention as she unfolded from her cocky stance. "My father? You mean to say you know where my father is?"

"No. However I do know what he has done..."

Katarina took a threatening step forward and scowled at the metallic titan straight in the eyes, "Tell me…" she growled lowly.

A foreboding click echoed throughout the mansion, prompting the two to look towards the giant double doors at the front. Oak made gates swung open slowly and revealed a black hooded figure entering the mansion. Rough hands pulled the black hood down.

"Father?" Katarina cocked a shocked eyebrow.

"Ah, Katarina, and Mordekaiser. This makes things easier." The aged Marcus du Couteau walked towards the living room in long strides. "I trust you know what is going on?"

Mordekaiser narrowed his crimson eyes, "It has begun once again, and he has started acting once more. Where does he reside now?"

"I told him of a Summoner who was doing research at a bordering city. He has probably already made his way to Demacia." The armored entity brushed the Noxian general aside and walked past him. Du Couteau looked at the black caped back of the metal master, "And what are you going to do?"

"There is a specific…someone I would like to see in Zaun." The Master of Metal swiveled about and turned towards Marcus, his cape swung around maliciously alongside his own shadow. "Perhaps you would like to accompany me…General." The low bellowing voice seemed to tremble through the air.

"Wait, what the hell is going on here? Someone better damn well explain something." Katarina gave a displeased huff, turning her father about by the shoulder. Marcus exchanged a rather amused glance to the tall suit of armor behind him.

Morde returned with a tedious glare accompanied by a grumble. "If I must…"

* * *

_He is here, there can be no doubt! The prophet was right!_ High Summoner Rem rushed into one of the doors off to the side of corridors in the arcane spire. The arcane spire was the heart of Demacian research on magics. All information pertinent to magic, ranging from just lighting a fire to summoning magic, was kept in this tower.

The room he entered was cluttered with scrolls and books on the floor. Even the desk in front of the balcony seemed to be buried under a grave of texts. It did not help matters that the room was not illuminated well enough, giving off an abandoned feel to it.

He closed the door behind him in an erratic manner, and then proceeded to rummage through the shelves and piles of books. _Where did I put it? Blast my disorientation!_ He screamed in his own mind. The Demacian High Summoner paced nervously around the dark room, kicking books and scrolls as he went along.

Rem stopped, noticed the door open and rushed to close it shut. A realization shocked him as he closed the door. He stopped moving, fingers still wrapped around the door knob, and felt some of the blood drain from his face. His body trembled subtly. A nervous grin played itself across his usually composed face, "Impressive…how did you do it?" The High Summoner attempted to speak in a calm voice, though some of the trembling seemed to have crept into his voice as well.

Though there was no response, Rem felt something move.

The shadows of the confined room whispered a faint footstep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author: I apologize in advance everyone. This chapter took awhile to dish out and it is still considered rushed in my books. Please be aware that this story was made and conceptualized back when Irelia was first released. Hence only Du Couteau's disappearance has been mentioned and champions who are released after Irelia might not be taken into consideration. Again, many thanks for your patience. Your comments are very encouraging and I hope to hear from more readers/summoners.**

* * *

Chapter 8: Unexpected Path

Kassadin sat meditatively, with eyes closed, on a rock at the base of a cliff. The sands of the Shurima Desert wailed against the cliff and blew past him. The hem of his black robes waved about in the intense wind. The Nether Blade on his right arm was now sleeping in a transparent yellow state. Embedded inside of the translucent blade was a small blue crystal that emanated a lucid glow even in its dormancy.

Otherworldly whispers crept into his mind, speaking great promises of salvation and harmony. The Voidwalker heeded none of them and blocked the voices out of his mind. Kassadin could almost physically feel tendrils reach into the depths of his thoughts. A faint wave of light pulsed from his body, and soon the dreaded whispers were gone. Glowing eyes slid open to look at the eternal sands of the desert that seemed to howl with the displeasure of his presence. The voices that called from the depths of the Void were trying to pull at his mind even more frequently now. He surmised that it was also connected to the constant fluctuations in his powers.

Kassadin looked down at the inactive Nether Blade to his side. He raised it and attempted to focus energy into the blade. The wickedly carved stone crackled for a moment with Void energy, but nothing happened.

Was this an ill omen? Perhaps the Void stones were weakening?

Well over a week had passed since he had embarked on this trek towards Noxus. He had felt a familiar presence, faint but nonetheless it was of the Void, in that direction.

His contemplation was cut short by a breeze of tainted wind blowing in from the side. Kassadin looked to his left curiously.

There was quite literally a crack floating in the middle of the air. The crack brimmed with eerie purple energy that was all too familiar to Kassadin.

_No! It can't be!_ He thought with a frightened gaze. To his mortification, the crack in the air slowly grew larger. Purple crevices spread out further from the source until it was human sized.

The air shattered as dozens of Voidlings began pouring out of the dimensional tear.

A crackling of pure Void energy surrounded his Nether Blade as it thundered to life and Kassadin instinctively flourished it in an arch-like manner. The powerful blade produced a wave of energy that cut a swath through the crowd of Voidlings. More of the small critters scuttled out of the portal and replaced the lost numbers, even reinforcing their forces.

Several Voidlings lunged at the guardian, however Kassadin avoided the attempt by entering an instant Void portal he produced. He appeared behind the small band of Voidlings, launching a violet orb of energy from his hand that seemed to distort the space around it. The spherical energy detonated on impact and seemed to swallow up the group of Voidlings in the twisting of the air around it.

Upon finishing off the remnants of the Voidbourne, the Voidwalker directed his attention towards the rift that still swirled with otherworldly energy. A slash from his blade closed the crack, resealing it and repairing the air. The Nether Blade at his arm once again slept, and he now felt the Shurima sands scraping across his dark blue skin.

Kassadin looked about and saw the bodies of the Voidlings dissolve into a black mist. Narrowed eyes of disbelief could only wonder what was happening in Runeterra.

* * *

"So you're claiming that the Summoners, even our very own High Summoner Terzer, are part of a cult that worships the Void?" Katarina confirmed with a sceptical brow in the direction of the hulking metal titan's form in front of her. It was bad enough having to be near something so related to disease itself, but now she had to breathe Zaun's smog ridden air while following this thing.

"They do not worship, the Void chooses who to associate with. Those chosen are tasked with the goal of opening a path for the Voidbourne to enter." Mordekaiser growled in his usual dark tone. The heavy thudding of his steel boots hitting the stone ground could be heard, sometimes even felt, from great distances. "However, there has always been an interfering force on Runeterra that stops them. The Voidwalker, Kassadin, comes to mind but he is not the first to bear the responsibilities."

"So you're claiming that the assassin who killed our Summoners is another of these...so called guardians, and expect me to just let it go? Do you happen to know what the hell the High Command will say to that?" The crimson haired mercenary snarled at the back of the dark one.

Mordekaiser brushed Katarina's statement aside in a mocking tone, "There are more things of concern here, human, than your pitiful politics. Your father merely wanted you to know the details of his recent disappearance was all."

"Guh..." She gave a wretched grin of dissatisfaction, gave a quick glance towards one of the citizens that lay nearby in a sickly state, and then turned back to the Master of Metal. The grin was a sign of her disbelief at the whole concept of just accepting this rubbish. "Alright...say I believe you about the whole conspiracy theory, now what? What exactly does being in Zaun have to do with any of this, or is this just one of your daily strolls down sickly lane?"

Mordekaiser gave a dark laugh, "In order to track down an old...acquaintance of mine, I have need of a certain Zaun mercenary's assistance. I believe you're very familiar with him...he's fairly...bloodthirsty..."

* * *

High Summoner Rem felt talons of cold metal dig into his neck. He stared back at his attacker face to face, though there was really nothing to look into given the mask his assassin wore.

He struggled through the metal grip, but eventually began uttering raspy words. "The prophet foretold of your coming! I never thought that you'd actually be able to get past the Demacian guards though!"

The aged Summoner was pinned against the door by a darkly draped form. Twin blades protruding out of metallic arm guards were pressed lightly against his neck, predatory fangs threatening to slay their prey. He glared back at his attacker with spiteful eyes and began uttering words out in no more than a whisper, "You're too late!"

* * *

"Wouldn't you rather be somewhere else than guarding little old me?" Jessica questioned Luxanna as they strode down the grand hall of the arcane spire. "I'm just here to see how the research is going anyways."

The upbeat girl puffed up her chest and lifted her head in an almost prideful mannerism. "His majesty has commanded that we guard Summoners from this assassin, it is imperative that I carry out this important task!"

"What about Garen? You don't want to catch up?" Midway through her words however, the Summoner realized that the mention of Luxanna's brother brought a sad note to the conversation.

The Crownguard girl heaved her chest heavily and gave a light sigh, "No, I'm sure brother has more important things to worry about...like Summoner Alicia's death..." She recalled Garen's usually determined and awe inspiring expression had turned into a drained exhausted one upon reporting to the audience.

The two were startled by an abrupt crash that came from the second floor. Something flew overhead and crashed into the wall on the opposing side of the hall. Rubble and dust fell aimlessly everywhere and Luxanna reflexively grabbed her magically empowered baton.

"Lady Luxanna! What was that sound?" Two guards in their dark blue uniform approached the scene with pikes in hand.

"Detain that man! He is the one who murdered Lady Alicia!" An aged voice choked the words from above. High Summoner Rem stood behind on the second floor behind a broken railing with an accusing finger at the fallen stranger. The intruder rose from his collapsed state and dusted off the black cape that wrapped itself around his left shoulder. He seemed unhurt, no limps or hesitation in his movements, despite the heavy fall he took earlier.

The two soldiers rushed at the assassin with their pikes extended outwards. They made quick jabs at him, but the intruder seemed to dance around their attacks with ease.

Lux was surprised, the silver armor he wore shouldn't have allowed for such quick and precise movements. She saw him quickly take a step outside of the soldier's reach and then made her move. With a wave of her wand, a wave of rainbow particles rippled towards the intruder. He did not notice the particles as they wrapped around his left leg and produced several bindings that fastened themselves onto the ground.

The intruder seemed surprised to have felt his footing being restraint. One of the pike men took the opportunity and made a downward swipe with the tip of the pike. His weapon was caught by the pole arm and the soldier was pulled in by the weapon. A gut wrenching steel fist imbedded itself into the Demacian's stomach. The soldier dropped his weapon out of agony and was greeted by another punch to the right side of his head.

A firm gauntlet grappled onto the falling soldier's collar and threw his body towards a nearby Lux and Jessica.

"Down!" Luxanna made a desperate dive at her Summoner friend. The airborne body crashed into one of the wide doorways that led to the research labs.

Lux waved her baton again, this time focusing more of her magic into her wand and producing a traveling distortion in the air. It was faint, but the assassin could see the ripple in the air and took a side step. In an instant the space at his left side exploded into a blinding light that flooded the entire hallway. A brief moment of inactivity was all the assassin gave for the other guard to rush in.

A fist fight broke out between the two combatants as the black robed man disarmed the soldier. Luxanna helped her friend stand up with an apologetic look on her face.

The soft jingle of metal hitting the floor echoed through the hallway as the remaining guard collapsed onto the ground. With a calm yet ominous demeanor, the intruder stood triumphantly over the guards. Despite the Demacian girl and her Summoner being blatantly in his view, the assassin's attention seemed drawn more towards the now vacant second floor.

He was specifically targeting Summoner Rem, Luxanna was sure of that. She waved her baton in a forward arc and a small ripple in the air accelerated towards the shadowy figure. Her target noticed the movement that wandered towards him and reacted with step to the side. The distortion detonated behind him, giving off a flash of blinding white light and an unexpected shock wave that launched him forward several feet. Lux followed up with another graceful wave from her baton, this time colorful particles dispersed towards where her enemy had landed. An invisible shock wave blasted the intruder away and sent him crashing into one of the research labs. The young Crownguard quickly gave chase, words of caution seemed to fall deaf on her ears.

"Lux! Wait! Don't go in there!" Jessica yelled desperately.

Lux barely ducked underneath a steel arm that took a swing out at her all of a sudden. She found herself merely inches away from the assailant. The man swiftly followed up with what appeared to be a downward smash on the young girl.

Lux responded by raising her baton up to guard the attack. The assassin's fist rebounded in mid air, stopped by an almost lucid bubble that slowly faded around the girl. She took her opponent's mishap as an opportunity and started focusing all of her magic into her baton. The empowered baton spun furiously in midair.

"Demacia!" She yelled the triumphant Demacian battle cry...the blinding light never came as she had always done in the past.

"..." Despite the mask, one could not help but feel that the assailant also gave off an air of disappointment. For several seconds the crumbled research lab was quiet.

Suddenly the ground gave off a strange light, pulsing with energy. Luxanna's gaze fell to see the glyphs on the floor beginning to light up. To be more specific, the teleportation glyph. The light was slowly beginning to intensify, and the young Demacian could only guess what was happening before trying to step out of the gylph's vicinity.

"Lux! Get out of there now!" Jessica screamed frantically. The Summoner reached out towards Luxanna, hoping to be able to reach her in time. However it was too late as the light quickly swallowed the two combatants and vanished in the blink of an eye.

What was left behind was a crumbling lab...and a distraught friend.


End file.
